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AXA Framlington UK Select Opportunities
This funds aims to provide capital growth by investing in a portfolio of UK equities with a 'go anywhere' approach. The manager is able to draw on his considerable experience and has built up a formidable reputation over many years running this type of fund.
Our opinion
Nigel has used the flexibility of the AXA Framlington UK Select Opportunities fund's mandate expertly to deliver strong returns across a wide variety of market conditions. He rightly deserves his reputation as one of the best fund managers in the UK and we regard him as one of the safest pairs of hands around.
Company description
AXA Investment Management is the asset management arm of the eponymous French insurance giant. It is one of the largest investment companies in Europe and acquired Framlington Investment Managers in 2005. Framlington Equities provides a dynamic, autonomous investment culture within the larger AXA group, and was awarded the Elite Equities Provider Rating in both 2016 and 2018.
Fund manager
Nigel Thomas is a true fund management veteran, with more than 30 years of industry experience. He has run the AXA Framlington UK Select Opportunities fund since 2002 and, during this time, has established an exemplary long-term track record. In 2013, Nigel won a highly-respected lifetime achievement award.
We do nothing that is unique, but we do wear out a significant amount of both intellectual and physical shoe leather.
Nigel ThomasFund manager
Investment process
Nigel is a pragmatic stock-picker who looks for both growth and value opportunities in companies of all sizes, with around 30% invested in the FTSE 100. Company meetings are a crucial part of the process, as strength of management is a key attribute that Nigel seeks. The fund will be reasonably diversified at around 80 holdings.
Risk
The fund broadly has the same risk characteristics as the UK stock market. The fund's philosophy of investing in any part of the UK market could introduce risk into the portfolio if incorrectly implemented, but, to date, the manager has proved to be extremely skillful at running this type of mandate.
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